Picking up their check

OYE 109 in action, from Letters to the Editor of The Washington Post:

Is gratitude to American military personnel misplaced? Published November 19

I was troubled by Chris Marvin’s Nov. 11 op-ed, “You’re welcome,” and letter writer Richard Lampl’s Nov. 15 response “Showing gratitude where it’s due.” My husband and I always make a point of thanking military personnel, and on many occasions we have anonymously picked up the tab of servicemen if we are dining at the same restaurant. Saying “thank you for your service,” while cliched, seems to me to be a very appropriate way to show our appreciation of what they do. But it seemed these two writers were saying they don’t want such expressions of gratitude from rank-and-file Americans.

Do many military personnel feel this way? If so, we’ll stop saying thank you. Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe that “thank you” and “have a nice day” mean something when spoken from the heart.

Mindy Conway, Centreville, VA